"Chisnall creates art that references such things as structure, time and Modernism as they pass through a very contemporary mindset that focuses on humor, transience, functionality and futility.”
D. Dominick Lambardi, 'Repurposing With a Passion', The Huffington Post.

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Writing On The Wall event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank this Saturday just gone – especially Mr James White, without who’s assistance I definitely wouldn’t have got the sculpture finished in the allotted six hours. At first we thought that we would pace ourselves in case we finished the piece before the 4 pm deadline but as 2 O’clock came round we suddenly got the fear as we realised that 2 hours to design, cut and sew a cloak (including making and attaching the arm sections) was not a lot of time. Fortunately we managed to complete the work with a few seconds to spare and judging from the amount of kids who were playing with it while we were still making it and the number of adults having their photos taken along side it, I think it was a successful project. Even with the early morning start and the showery weather meaning that we had to move the roof-top after party downstairs to inside the Queen Elizabeth Hall, everyone involved seemed to have a great time. Apologies however to everyone if I wasn’t very chatty on the day but the mixture of sleep deprivation and sun burn had taken its toll. By 11 pm as the United Underground part of the event wound down I was definitely ready for bed (after a couple of quick pints in the pub first – obviously).

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

The new Hero issue of A5 magazine will be featuring a photo (taken on the set of the soon to be released feature film, ‘Scratch’) of my ‘Dreams of Being Batman’ sculpture. It is out now and features 65 works by 62 creators from all over the world. All images in the magazine appear in Black and white, printed on 72 pages and bound in a way that the pages can be easily separated and hung wherever where ever you wish. Each issue is printed in a limited edition of 1500 copies.

A5 Magazine is a non profit tri-annual printed magazine and presents works from various fields of art and design based on a given theme, with previous themes being Beginning, Fantasy, Obsession, Portrait, Future, Sex and Childhood.

You can see online versions of the mag at http://www.thea5magazine.com but I suggest checking out some of the hundreds of amazing and funny images that they have at - http://www.flickr.com/photos/a5magazine

The creative team behind A5 are Keren and Golan Gafni from Studio Keren and Golan in Tel-Aviv, Israel,graphic designers who specialize in the printed media and Tali Green, also a graphic designer.

Friday, 17 July 2009

In preparation for tomorrow’s ‘Writing On The Wall’ at the South Bank I’ve been working on the framework for my piece – working title, ‘Corruption Incarnate’. As the theme for this event (organised by Ctrl+Alt+Shift) is Corruption, I’ve decided to have a bit of fun and on the day I will be creating a very over the top, camp-gothic creature – complete with dripping talons and a black cloak. To emphasize the corruption element the creature will be made out of dollar bills, have a gold snout that appears to be dripping black oil and have an exaggerated Nosferatu-like body. The logistics of creating the framework for the sculpture have made this an interesting project to work on. And in some ways it will be a shame when I have to eventually cover the figure in its cloak, and hide the supporting armature. But that’s me I suppose – more interested in the process and the underlying structure than the end product.

To find out more about this event, check out –http://www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/#/Magazine/article/917

I've been a bit remiss on the old salesman front lately so I thought it about time that I gave the Spidey Pods prints another mention. So here's the details -

Each print is a signed and numbered, limited edition 3 colour silk screen print on high grade, archival paper. Dimensions: 58 x 54 cm. Price: £100 unframed, although I do have a small number for sale, mounted in custom made, white, box frames for £150 (cost price for the frame). These framed prints can be collect direct from my Bethnal Green, London studio or delivered directly to London addresses. Anywhere outside of London and I can't guarantee that the picture glass will arrive intact so sorry but only unframed prints can be sent to these areas.

If you are interested in purchasing a print please contact me at waynechisnall@yahoo.co.uk

Saturday, 11 July 2009

Well, Saturday 18th July looks like being a fun filled day. From 10 am till 4pm myself and a whole gang of artists will be creating artwork on the theme of ‘Corruption’, as part of Ctrl+Alt+Shift’s ‘Writing On The Wall’ event at the Southbank Centre (on the Riverside Terrace outside Queen Elizabeth Hall) in London. After the event finishes at 4 pm, all the work will be taken inside the Queen Elizabeth Hall where a winning piece will be selected. As to whether this is decided by the voting public or by a judging panel, I don't yet know. But whatever the outcome, I think that everyone involved is just looking to have a bit of fun on the day. To find out more about this event, check out –http://www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/#/Magazine/article/917

As the only 3D practitioner in the group (the others being graffiti artists) I was initially a bit worried as to what I could actually achieve, sculpturally, in just 6 hours. Normally I work to a calendar, not a clock. So I’ve come up with a compromise and have been working on some interconnecting components that can be assembled on the day. Is that cheating? Maybe. Also, I'd like thank fellow artist, James White, who has kindly agreed to double up as my glamorous assistant on the day. Don't worry - he's promised not to wear his little sequined number.

And if that is not enough for you then Ctrl+Atl+Shift will be hosting ‘UNITED UNDERGROUND’, a rooftop party later in the evening (5-11 pm, tickets £5 or £2.5 for students). Details of which can be found at -http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/music/productions/united-underground-47150 or on the Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=98241873911

Below are a few details of the who and what will be going on at the party –

Music plus activism.

You don't have to leave London for a summer festival experience. Across the spaces of Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall - including the reopening of the roof as a venue space - hosted by Ctrl.Alt.Shift, British Underground and actor and musician Riz Ahmed/ Riz MC, United Underground is a unique mix of cutting-edge street culture, music, artwork, fanzines and film set against a backdrop of new-school activism.

The event has been specifically created to promote active engagement with new music and its potential as a catalyst for change.

United Underground takes place:- On the Roof. Live music alternating with activists and speakers from across the cultural, social and political spectrum;- Inside the Building. Live music and DJ sets hosted by London's best underground clubs; the live creation of a dedicated fanzine by Ctrl.Alt.Shift, documenting the event as it happens; and, new short films and features selected by talent spotters at Film London and Ctrl.Alt.Shift.

Recent/Upcoming Shows

Biog

Based in London since 1999, Chisnall now divides his time and art practice between London and his new, larger studio in Shropshire. Coming from an illustration, painting and print-making background he is now as well known for his sculptures and drawings.

In 2005 he was awarded a bursary and membership from the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

As well as his work appearing in UK and international exhibitions, magazines, on record covers, and on TV (including BBC 2's 'The Culture Show', Channel 4 News, London Live, and Channel 4's 'Four Rooms'), his sculptures have appeared in the feature film, 'Scratch', directed by Jakob Rørvik. In 2013 he was commissioned to produce a series of paintings for the horror film 'Bliaze of Gory'.

The artist's work is featured regularly in on-line articles and interviews, including two separate articles in The Huffington Post.

Chisnall has organised and run art/sculpture workshops for schools and businesses since 1998, including ones for ING Bank's London headquarters via the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

John Malkovich chose Chisnall's script, 'Doppelganger', as the winning entry in the 2008 Sony VAIO Scriptwriting competition. This script, along with Malkovich's was then turned into the short animated film, ‘Snow Angel’.

“ … I’m going to go with the “Doppelganger” script. It’s clever, inventive, and somehow both surprising and inevitable. Very neatly done all in all.” John Malkovich (4th Jan. 2008).

As well as working on his own projects the artist accepts commissions. His clients include Mary Fox Linton, Andy Martin Architects, Converse, Dawood and Tanner, Domus, Ctrl.Alt.Shift, private collectors, and the Ping Pong restaurant chain.

Artist's Statement

Most of my current sculptural work involves the reworking and assemblage of found materials; materials that I feel have a certain ‘resonance’.

Memory, or its fallibility, is also central to a lot of my work. This is more strongly evident in my early pieces, which incorporate or recreate childhood artifacts and toys. A prime example of this is ‘And When I’m a Man I'll Think As a Man’, the life size sculpture of myself as a twelve piece, pre-assembly, model kit. An important aspect of the piece is its bright green colour, which was chosen to match my memory of that of a childhood toy – realizing that the memory would have mutated; exaggerating the luridness of the colour.

Another re-occurring theme or motif in my work is that of the wheeled box or tower, which relates to containment, the urge to possess, and restricted mobility.

As well as the obvious sexual interpretation of the orifice element that has emerged in many of my recent works, my main interest in the device, lies in it being the portal between the internal and the external.

Although not a film maker myself, my work is heavily influenced by my early passion for film and animation. This is evident in my archaic-looking tower sculpture, ‘The City,’ which echoes the same fairy tale or dream-like quality that is characteristic of the short films of animators such as the Brothers Quay and Jan Švankmajer.

“Chisnall’s towering wooden piece is made up of tiny display cases and cabinets made from found materials like skulls, insects and fossils, a kind of modern cabinet of curiosities. Or a nightmarish vision inspired by Jorge Luis Borges. He explains that much like the inhabitants of a big city, each compartmentalised environment plays out its own narrative, seemingly oblivious to that of its neighbour”. Julia Kollewe (journalist – The Guardian and The Independent), 2009.

“...Wayne Chisnall creates art that references such things as structure, time and Modernism as they pass through a very contemporary mindset that focuses on humor, transience, functionality and futility. There is also the presence of popular culture in his thinking, as he addresses the differences between reality and perception, and how that affects the needs, wants and even the formation of the human psyche.” D. Dominick Lambardi, 'Repurposing With a Passion', The Huffington Post, July 14th 2014.